Toronto pro-Palestinian protesters march near Jewish care facility after kosher bakery shooting

A large pro-Palestinian demonstration in Toronto on Sunday led to traffic disruptions and a significant police presence, particularly as it neared a Jewish senior care facility. The protest occurred just hours after a shooting at a kosher bakery located a few kilometers away, in a neighborhood with a high concentration of Jewish residents, synagogues, and businesses.

During the demonstration, activists marched along Sheppard Avenue West, a route that police halted near commercial offices and Baycrest, a Jewish senior care facility. Independent observers captured footage of local residents and workers expressing concern that the protest targeted vulnerable community members by taking place so close to a healthcare facility in a heavily Jewish area. Some workers in scrubs were seen gesturing their disapproval as protesters passed.

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Death, death to the IDF

Social media footage showed participants with shirts bearing anti-Israel slogans and heard chants like "Death, death to the IDF." One activist led a chant referencing "from the sea to the river Palestine will live forever." Police managed crowds behind barricades, enforcing restrictions on protests in quiet residential areas due to past safety concerns. An individual with a history of antisemitic tweets and a previous arrest for refusing to remove a keffiyeh at a Jewish community center engaged with police, complaining about an incident of spitting from a balcony.

The weekly demonstrations at Bathurst and Sheppard have become a focal point for activism, with various flags including Palestinian, Israeli, and Iranian, alongside signs demanding an end to perceived genocide, being displayed. Police efforts focused on maintaining separation between demonstrators and counter-protesters.

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from the sea to the river Palestine will live forever